On the night of Saturday to Sunday, TikTok closed in the United States. Its users in this country could only see a message warning that the social network was no longer available. The reason was the law passed in 2024 by Congress, according to which TikTok had to stop being operational as long as it “remains under Chinese control”, which can represent serious national security problems, “for example, at a crucial moment of crisis.” ». The network is known for its dances and its “trends”, which have influenced the charts over the last five years.
After 13 hours of blackout, TikTok is available again. Users now see a message of gratitude to Donald Trump, who is taking office today. Trump announced this Sunday that he would issue an executive order to obtain an extension before the law banning TikTok goes into effect. It announced: “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped prevent TikTok from going dark before my order.” After this announcement, TikTok returned with a message of gratitude for the leader of the conservatives.
As El País explains, the extension that Trump mentions had to be given only if the sale by the Chinese owner was on track. The president had to have certified in Congress that the divestment is taking place. This has not occurred, only a statement in which he assures that his plan is for “the United States to have a 50% participation in a joint venture.” He specifies: “My initial idea is a joint venture between the current owners and/or the new owners in which the United States obtains a 50% interest in a joint venture created between the United States and the buyer of our choice.”
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known for her activism, has released a video in which she claims that Donald Trump does not have the power to open and close TikTok and that what is happening is that he and TikTok are “negotiating in private.” . The politician assures that TikTok is being criticized as an instrument of Chinese manipulation, but what is happening is that it is going to serve as “right-wing propaganda.”
Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez recalls the manipulation of the X algorithm (formerly Twitter) favoring ultra-conservative news, and assures that the only social network that is not bought by the right is Bluesky, which is still very small.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on TikTok and Donald Trump:
“TikTok’s decision to name Trump in the notification is a choice…For all those concerns that people were saying that TikTok is going to be used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese, understanding they’re using it as a… pic.twitter.com/4HgMnwT31X
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 19, 2025
